🐄 State-Backed Farm Credit: APIA Certificates Available Again in 2025 for Livestock Farmers

Livestock farmers in Romania will once again be eligible, during the 2025 campaign, to access state-backed loans—either bank or non-bank—through certificates issued by the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA). These certificates are based on agreements signed between APIA, financial institutions, and agricultural guarantee funds, aiming to facilitate farmers’ access to working capital for current operations.

The APIA certificate confirms that the applicant has submitted their payment request for the 2025 campaign and specifies the number of eligible animals under the livestock intervention schemes, as defined in the Strategic Plan of the CAP 2023–2027. Upon written request by the farmer, the document is issued by the county-level APIA offices, following approved procedures, and can be used to contract a loan of up to 90% of the estimated subsidy amount.

The maximum loan amount is calculated based on the planned minimum unit subsidy for each type of livestock intervention (for example, coupled support for beef cattle or buffaloes, transitional national aid for sheep, etc.), multiplied by the number of animals validated in the certificate. These reference amounts are set annually by the Ministry of Agriculture, depending on available budget and eligible applications.

The resulting credits are guaranteed by two specialized institutions:

• FGCR – Rural Credit Guarantee Fund (IFN – SA)
• FNGCIMM – National Credit Guarantee Fund for SMEs (IFN – SA)

These guarantee funds cover part of the financial institutions’ risks, thus improving farmers’ access to credit under more favorable terms.

Interested farmers can obtain detailed information from their local or county APIA offices, and may also consult the list of banking and non-banking institutions that have signed valid agreements for the 2025 campaign. The certificate request procedure is relatively straightforward but requires timely submission of the single payment application and maintenance of eligibility conditions until completion of administrative checks.

This financing tool allows livestock farmers to secure funding for expenses such as feed, veterinary treatments, staff wages, or other operational costs, especially during the period in which subsidy payments may be delayed due to APIA’s disbursement schedule.

Thus, the APIA certificate becomes a strategic resource for managing the financial flow of livestock farms.

For 2025, APIA strongly encourages farmers to make use of this mechanism, which supports the financial stability of the livestock sector and enhances the performance of agricultural holdings.

📸 (Photo: Freepik)